mind expanding nonsense

Wow. Two states have legal marijuana up and running: Washington and Colorado, with Alaska, Oregon and the District of Columbia soon to be in high gear with similar legislation. The west coast is swiftly becoming the Gold Coast, except for California. Bummer. My own home state, which was the first to pass a medical marijuana initiative in 1996, is not goin’ for it, and voted down a proposition a few years back. But ya know what? I’m starting to think that’s just fine. If you really wanna indulge in a little reefer madness, pay 65 bucks for a doctors recommendation letter ( I used a tabloid coupon and only had to pay $50) and wowie zowie, you’re legal. You can buy your weed medication at a local dispensary, or have it delivered to your home (no Amazon drones, but some pretty spacey people). You can possess up to eight ounces (that’s half a pound) for personal use (that’s a shit-load of weed) and grow up to six plants if ya have a green thumb. All without the paranoia of getting busted and worrying about police. Cause…You’re obeying the law!

Pot prices are collapsing in Washington State. There’s a glut on the market, and many local growers are going under and facing bankruptcy. [I wonder if the Saudis are behind it like they are with driving down oil prices?]…Well, who woulda thunk? With cannabis legal, every stoned, totally baked pot-head in the world probably had the same flash: “Hey, I can get rich doing my favorite thing, and grow all the weed I want”. Problem is, they don’t call it “weed” for nothing, and anybody with a backyard, porch or empty closet can grow their own fairly easy and end up with a lifetime supply.

You see a lot of articles on Yahoo about marijuana: first it’s good for you, then it’s not. CNBC, the business station, is constantly running marijuana stories, mainly from an investment standpoint; something new to cash in on. Hey, why let organized crime make all the money? Wall Street needs some of that action, they already got alcohol and tobacco wrapped up. Rumors abound that Phillip Morris and other companies are ramping-up reefer production for when total legalization occurs. I can see it now: Marlboro Kush.

Here’s they thing that’s not sitting right with me. Too much involvement by the Government. I’m not a Tea Party fan (unless the tea is made with a little cannabis), but with government involvement comes taxation and regulation [my gawd, I’m sounding like a Republican]. In Washington State legal marijuana is heavily taxed; medical marijuana is not. Guess where serious connoisseurs are gonna shop. The Black Market (independent entrepreneurs) is alive and well. All problems in the land of lotus eaters.

So I’m cool with the way things are here in California as they stand. Lets wait and see how things play-out in Washington and Colorado and then jump on the Strawberry Fields Forever bandwagon so we can tax the shit outta it and once and for all solve our budgetary problems (like the Lottery did for schools).

Anyway, in California and a lot of other states that have approved medical marijuana, it’s pretty much been decriminalized and reduced to an infraction status. The Feds are a different story. [Gotta love the conflict all this is cause in the Right Wing: the Christian Right is against it on moral grounds, the Libertarian wing feels it’s a states rights issue, and all them fuckers can’t wait to get their hands on the potential tax revenues so they can lower corporate tax rates for their buddies.] Plus if ya wanna indulge, it’s a very low hoop to jump through to get a medical card. Like all things in America, any problem can be solved by spending money.

In Canberra, where I studied, it was legal to grow five plants for personal use. Selling was still a non-no, and anything over a joint on the street would be frowned upon by the local constabulary, but five plants in your backyard was fine. The law was, however, quite specific: five stems, it said. Now, need i say, it’s quite remarkable what a good horticulturalist can do with “five stems”… almost loaves and fish’s stuff, really 🙂

Thanks for a good overview as to the differences in taxation! Why wouldn’t anyone interested just get to a medical dispensary? We were out socially last Saturday night and I’m sure had we been indoors I’d have experienced a good old fashioned contact high. It always makes me laugh that no one seems to pay any attention. I had no idea it was so easy to get the medical card. Very interesting. 🙂